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HIGHWAY BILL HIJINX: Today marks two weeks since House leaders told their Republican colleagues about a plan to patch the Highway Trust Fund with changes to the Postal Service — and it hasn’t won over many people so far. Of four House Republicans — three on the Transportation Committee — who spoke with MT about the proposal, the most positive stance anyone took was the suggestion that “people are warming up to it.” One Republican on T&I didn’t mince words: “It’s beyond dead and it never should have had life. It is a pathetic, sad commentary on our unwillingness to face our bigger responsibility.” Leaders talked about the plan at the GOP caucus meeting earlier this week, but “it didn’t really go over well,” according to a House Republican at the meeting. “There were a lot of people feeling like it was gimmicky and it doesn’t really do what we want it to do.” But, the member cautioned, “it feels like everything really changed Tuesday night” with Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s shocking primary defeat at the hands of political novice Dave Brat. Cantor announced Wednesday that he will leave his leadership post at the end of July.

Surprise: Several T&I members said they were caught off-guard by the leadership’s memo, but that the surprise won’t affect their assessment of the plan. The memo first outlining the proposal — sent by Speaker John Boehner, Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy — went out on two weeks ago, on a Friday as lawmakers were heading home for a week-long recess. The memo came “as a bit of a surprise,” one member told MT. “I got an email and then I’m like, ‘Uhhh, OK,’” another said. “We were caught a little bit off guard by it.” My story has more: http://politico.pro/TPevYN

Meanwhile, over the Senate… The tax holiday idea is dividing the upper chamber, but not along the normal party lines. Pro Tax’s Brian Faler has more: http://politico.pro/1hOxMEi

LEADER McCARTHY? McCarthy is now poised to be the next House majority leader after Pete Sessions dropped out of the race yesterday. The Californian has been a critic of the Golden State’s high-speed rail project, and this January he was a co-sponsor of T&I railroads panel Chairman Jeff Denham’s bill (http://1.usa.gov/1mPkvI1) blocking federal money to the project unless certain conditions are met. McCarthy has also fought for riders in funding bills blocking federal money for the project, as was included in the House’s latest THUD bill.

RAILROADS URGE CAUTION ON SAFETY RULE CHANGES: Kathryn reports: “The railroad industry is warning the White House against some potential safety rules for trains carrying explosive crude oil, saying freight and passenger rail traffic could be disrupted for years if companies must obey 30 mph speed limits, install more sophisticated brakes and keep the trains manned at all times. The arguments, contained in documents posted after a meeting this week between railroad officials and the Office of Management and Budget, also offer a preview of what steps the Obama administration may be considering in response to oil train crashes that have struck the U.S. and Canada in the past year.” Her story has more on the documents: http://politico.pro/1lm72uo

Meanwhile, in the other Washington: Gov. Jay Inslee has directed the state’s Department of Ecology to put together a report on oil-by-rail safety issues in Washington State by Oct. 1. Inslee specifically wants a comparison of the risk posed by Bakken crude and other kinds of oil, details about federal and state regulatory gaps, and the first steps to writing a spill response plan for counties — as well as a budget strategy to meet oil-by-rail safety and response funding needs. “The concerns of Washington citizens with respect to the safe transport of oil through our State must be re-examined in light of the rapid changes taking place,” says the directive. http://1.usa.gov/1n7QO6t

FRIDAY THE 13TH. Thanks for reading POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on trains, planes, automobiles and ports, where it’s been 31 years since the Pioneer 10 space probe became the first craft to leave the solar system. Drop me a line: asnider@politico.com. There’s more on Twitter: @AdamKSnider and @POLITICOPro.

MORE HIGHWAY BILL TIDBITS — A friendly gesture: Republican Rep. Tom Petri and Democratic Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, both senior T&I members, have introduced the administration’s four-year, $302 billion transportation proposal in the lower chamber. Petri, who will be retiring from Congress at the end of the year, did it by request “as a courtesy to the administration,” a spokesman said. Norton said in a statement that she prefers a six-year bill but the administration’s plan “is a timely contribution as Congress works towards passage of a long-term surface transportation authorization, and should provide guidance and ideas as we develop legislation to set the future course of these vital programs.” More info on H.R. 4834: http://1.usa.gov/1v5GaSz

Keep tax revenue separate: A coalition of groups including the Chamber of Commerce, the Aerospace Industries Association and Business Roundtable have written House and Senate tax-writers to oppose any tax reform money going to causes other than lowering the tax rate (like infrastructure, for example). The letter focuses on the tax code implications and says attempts to “focus on the individual symptoms of our broken code” are only “a distraction that will make tax reform harder to achieve.” http://bit.ly/1poHPCO

Worrywart: The top-line results from a new poll released yesterday by LIUNA: “59% of Americans worry about unsafe road conditions due to poor road surfaces — and 27% worry often … Worries are highest in the Northeast (69%) and Midwest (67%) and in urban areas (70%) … 28% say road conditions have contributed to an accident involving themselves or someone they know … 40% say they or someone they know has almost had an accident or lost control of their car due to poor road surfaces … 69% say poor road conditions contribute to wear and tear on their car.” More: http://bit.ly/1mNuX2A

DOT’S SEMIANNUAL REGULATORY AGENDA: The department’s semiannual regulatory agenda, which looks at current and projected rulemakings for the next year, appears in today’s Federal Register. Give it a look here: http://1.usa.gov/1oTHN3K

ANOTHER GM RECALL PROBE: Multiple state attorneys general are jointly investigating General Motors’ handling of a deadly ignition lock defect. The attorneys general in Indiana, Connecticut and Illinois are among those participating in the probe, their offices confirmed to Kevin. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission are also investigating the nation's largest automaker.

MAILBAG — Air traffic controller hiring: Ten House members of the Illinois delegation have written Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx asking for more information about an FAA change in how air traffic controllers are hired that is “saturated with a disturbing lack of transparency.” Referring to the FAA’s 2013 plan to hire 10,000 new controllers over the next decade, the lawmakers, led by former T&I member Randy Hultgren, wrote that there “are strong signs that the plan has achieved just the opposite of its original intent and has resulted in unjust economic injury to qualified candidate.” Letter: http://1.usa.gov/1l5ILdn

United-Continental merger: Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge wrote United Airlines head Jeffrey Smisek to oppose any reductions in service at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. A promise not to make cuts in 2010 “contradicts what is projected to take place at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport,” she wrote. http://politico.pro/1v5TvKB

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)

- The Port Authority of NY and NJ admits it’s the subject of an SEC investigation. NJ: http://bit.ly/1v7vhQe

- Tesla opens its patents to everyone, and makes a great joke in a blog post about it: “All Our Patent Are Belong To You.” http://bit.ly/1xRjmbo

- Officials reach deal to convert 33 MetroAccess vans to wheelchair-accessible taxis, more than doubling the fleet of accessible cabs by the end of the year. Transportation Nation: http://bit.ly/1oTIHxa

THE COUNTDOWN: MAP-21 expires and DOT funding runs out in 110 days. FAA policy is up in 475 days. The mid-term elections are in 144 days and the 2016 presidential election is in 879 days.

CABOOSE — Pearson’s Dream: From New Zealand around 1905: “E class locomotive, E 66, at the Petone Railway Workshops, with William Godber standing on the front. Known as ‘Pearson's Dream,’ designed by G.A. Pearson, and built in 1905 for use on the Rimutaka Incline; written off in 1917.” Shorpy: http://bit.ly/1xOtEJt

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**A message from POWERJobs: The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is seeking a Senior Washington Representative for its Washington, D.C. office. This person will work to develop and implement campaign plans for UCS’s national work to reduce oil use and global warming pollution in the transportation sector. They will plan, coordinate and participate in advocacy and outreach efforts in support of UCS’s national transportation policy agenda. Click here for details.**